Your favorite ships or characters (in terms of abilities)?

[dummy]

What are your favorite shmup ships and/or (playable) characters, strictly speaking in terms of "abilities" (the ship's default weapon, power-ups and additional weapons, gimmicks, gameplay mechanics)?

I like these a lot

>Radiant Silvergun (7 different weapons, all of which are default weapons rather than something you pick up, and to top it off, one of those weapons is a sword! A close range weapon, in a shmup game. The physical appearance/design of the ship is pretty bland, but eh, this thread is exclusively about the ships' abilities and weapons)

>Ikaruga and Ginkei (the polarity swapping mechanic of these ships is pretty cool and makes them very fascinating ships in comparison to other shmup ships)

>Vic Viper from Gradius series, more specifically the Gradius 3 and onward version of it (because of the fact that you can mix and match your power ups into any combinations you like, though I also like the fact that you can store up 5-6 different power ups and activate them whenever you like, I also love the way the laser in Gradius 5 looks when you move it up and down. In fact, all of the power ups and weapons in Gradius 5 look very aesthetically appealing)

>Einhander (12 distinct and cool power ups/weapons, one of them being a sword which I'm a fan of, and the fact that there's a version of the ship that has up to three gunpods.)

>The ship from Harmful Park (i don't think it has a name?)

>The various playable ships from R-Type, be it the iconic R9-Arrowhead or other ships (force is a pretty awesome gadget and I love how you can't shoot your non-default weapons left or right whenever you like but you must detach the force first and then manually equip it on the back of the ship to shoot power-up weapons to the left side of the screen, and vice versa, it makes it really cool imo)

>Bangai-O (the missile barrage/Itano Circus element of the Bangai-O mecha makes it very appealing to me what with my love for Macross as a whole)

Not exactly shmups......but I absolutely adore the Metal Slug series characters and Gunstar Heroes' characters' arsenal and weaponry, especially the latter game, although Metal Slug 3 has some cool transformations (Mummy, Zombie, becoming chubby), but Gunstar Heroes has the overall cooler weapons imo. Incidentally, Gunstar Heroes was made by Treasure, who have made Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, Bangai-O and Gradius V too. I think I like Cave and Irem shmups more than Treasure's, but Treasure's shmups and run 'n gun games have the cooler arsenal and weaponry and cooler ships/characters in general.


P.S. I know I said "playable" ships and characters, but if you find the abilities/weapons/bullet patterns of a particular enemy ship or enemy character to be very appealing to you, then you may mention them.

[Lander]

Doubling down on R-Type - R-9 Arrowhead and Force Pod

Come for the Wave Cannon fireworks, stay for the timelessly elegant dance of undocked Force manipulation.

There really is nothing quite like it. Most games that copy the dockable pod concept use it purely as a shield or have it double up as an expendable bomb, but that misses what makes the system great: It's all about those simple second-order rules that govern its movement based on where the player ship is.

Picking it up for the first time feels like babysitting a dumb alien ball that you'd rather dock for laser use, but when the rules click it becomes an intuitive second ship, able to control space, provide cover fire, scout ahead, and generally be spaceman's best friend in a world hellbent on sending you back to the last checkpoint.

>Bangai-O (the missile barrage/Itano Circus element of the Bangai-O mecha makes it very appealing to me what with my love for Macross as a whole)

Hell yeah engineering super risky situations only to turn the tables at the last moment and obliterate the frame rate with a giant missile counter is thoroughly satisfying.

[xxx1993]

I do love Vic Viper's weaponry myself. The mechanics for Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga work too, and I also give the Yamato from Sol Cresta props for its formations.

[Leandro]

I like the blue laser from Truxton. I enjoy the color and the pretty lights

Enviado de meu 2201116SG usando o Tapatalk

[To Far Away Times]

Doubling down on R-Type - R-9 Arrowhead and Force Pod

Come for the Wave Cannon fireworks, stay for the timelessly elegant dance of undocked Force manipulation.

There really is nothing quite like it. Most games that copy the dockable pod concept use it purely as a shield or have it double up as an expendable bomb, but that misses what makes the system great: It's all about those simple second-order rules that govern its movement based on where the player ship is.

Picking it up for the first time feels like babysitting a dumb alien ball that you'd rather dock for laser use, but when the rules click it becomes an intuitive second ship, able to control space, provide cover fire, scout ahead, and generally be spaceman's best friend in a world hellbent on sending you back to the last checkpoint.

Well said.

[Some-Mist]

muchi muchi pork. I'm not the biggest fan of the OST or aesthetic, but it's a top 3 game for me because of the mechanics
first off... the theme of it being "pig girls" riding air bicycles is pretty funny
then you're collecting piggies to gain enough lard so you can use your lard shot over and over

and on the buttons to score you're constantly switching between shots which feels and looks real cool

big fan

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

I enjoy options. More than just having a focus shot or a laser, and more than just having some singular gimmick the game revolves around.

Design-wise, the more things you add to a ship, the more unbalanced it can become. It's no wonder that typically, ships aren't loaded with variety, but some of them have managed to have it while keeping things polished. I have high respect for such games, because it means that far more work was put into development, especially balancing. A selection of abilities that lets a player approach a situation in different ways instead of simply using what's the correct tool for the job every time is the golden standard, at least by my books.

4.

Spoiler

R-type was probably the first one that made you really think. Though it's not a top choice for me, I can't leave it unmentioned in good taste. You have two sides to attach to force to, you have the additional decision of having it attached or unnatached to begin with, and you also get a charged shot on top of that. For its time, it was revolutionary. Basically the force had way more depth than typical mechanics of the time.

3.

Spoiler

Radiant Silvergun is also cool. Each weapon has a purpose, and they're really well balanced. I find that only a few spots in the game really demand a specific weapon, and you're always left with some choice. The sword is a nice addition but very gimmicky in practice and doesn't feel necessary. However, even with that said, it's hard for me to praise this ship. While it objectively deserves the spot here, being better than many other cases of ships with full weapon selection (hi thunder force), the game itself is stupid (okay, okay, it's the scoring and powering up that annoyed me, don't get mad, please!)

2.

Spoiler

Hellsinker's ships have a very similar feel, but that game's far more enjoyable in my opinion, and there's also some enjoyable input fuckery for you to mess with. Deadliar is a favorite. No surprise given he harkens back to R-Type. In this case it's sacrificing some depth for fluidity, and adding more of it back with the game's universal mechanics. Xantez is my runner-up. No additional units to control for that one, just a powerful platform that demands that you alternate between its weapons for best use. Very satisfying.

5. (honorary mention)

Spoiler

I'll give an honorary mention to Akashicverse which tried to have the single most-complex ship in the genre and failed miserably. Is the game fun to play? Sure, it's cool. Is it balanced? About as much as Regalsin's worldview, lmao. Eventually you end up just meleeing everything, cheesing patterns with the clone and abusing iframes more than Ken Masters from Dark Souls.

1...so, what's my single favorite ship in the entire genre, then?

Spoiler

Endymion FRS Mk. II
From Einhander.
No further explanation will be given.

[XoPachi]

The Bi-Axe and Tateha in DoDonPachi and ESPGaluda respectively. I really like the movement based firing. There's something about it's flexibility that feels so fluid and like I have slightly more agency over the protagonist.

I like the T-301 because the refreshed options mechanics, especially Freeze and Direction were so much fun to master and I felt even more deeply rewarded learning the stages. And the fact that they weren't always good in some situations, even Freeze, made Gradius V very interesting as you had to really work with what you chose and think in advance where you struggle before choosing an option behavior. People tend to dislike that Direction wasn't twinstick and it halted movement to adjust, but I really love that tight rope.

I like Judge Spear a LOT because holy *shit* that thing is a zippy little guy in Raiden Fighters! For no reason too! It was nothing close to that speed in Viper P1!

Grimlen in GMD is also a lot of fun. Super heavy and really powerful but tricky to use. They're really fun to learn and that charge shot was so satisfying.

[Sima Tuna]

Ageha from Espgaluda II. If I'm going for a serious attempt, I will never pick any other ship. He/She has it all.

[XoPachi]

Ageha*
My bad. Thats who I meant.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

I like ships that are simple yet effective. I actually rather like the "your rapid attack is actually really powerful compared to your laser" thing that some games have going on like Type B in Donpachi, B-S in DDP (for stage enemies at least), Bolt in Progear, and the Ghost Team (Youmu + Yuyuko) in Imperishable Night.

This also applies to ships that just feel exceptionally strong but still well balanced around what you're facing. R-Type Leo's ship with those TOUCH OF DEATH orbs are a ton of fun to use (sorry R-Type purists) and then there's also Kaikan's Type D with it's LITERAL SCREEN FILLING FLAME WALLS that are hilariously large and sweep popcorn better than anything (even if the shot type's kinda underwhelming on bosses).

Games with recharging special abilities like Giga Wing are a lot of fun, and Stuck's grenades that you can easily use point-blank really fit the game well. Plus the Reflect mechanic is always super viscerally satisfying.

The Bi-Axe and [Ageha] in DoDonPachi and ESPGaluda respectively. I really like the movement based firing. There's something about it's flexibility that feels so fluid and like I have slightly more agency over the protagonist.

Yeah, the swivel shots are really nice. The key that made them work was that it wasn't your whole shot that swivelled; most of the barrage still went forward when moving, and in DP/DDP you can force the pods to recenter with repeated slightly-longer-than-a-tap presses of laser. SDOJ's type B shot is also fun because the swivel speed is super fast and responsive, especially compared to DFK where to poor heli's shot turns at a snail's pace and feels unlike its earlier or later incarnations.

It's also why I love Rolling Gunner's ships, the fluidity you feel when you get a handle for the gunpod is super satisfying.

I like Judge Spear a LOT because holy *shit* that thing is a zippy little guy in Raiden Fighters! For no reason too! It was nothing close to that speed in Viper P1!

I like that even in fan games like Xeno Fighters R, the Judge Spear's incarnation in Raiden Fighters basically became the definitive one. Viper Phase 1 is a cool game with amazing music and graphics, but the gigantic hitbox size and frankly sluggish movement speed really suck a lot of the fun out of it.

[Sima Tuna]

A big part of what makes Ageha so overpowered in Espgaluda II imo is that you have two forms. The second form has wide straight shots with small lasers, while the main form has swivel shots and a beam. So you can easily swap forms to meet whatever needs you may have. The swivel shot provides amazing coverage at the cost of damage, but Ageha doesn't lose any damage in total, thanks to the focused beam and the alternate form. Then you have to consider the central slowdown mechanic. A ship which deals high damage but has (relatively) less coverage is more useful when you can slow bullets down to move your ship faster. You don't really need to worry about killing popcorn because you have so much speed and the swivel shots. AFAIK Ageha is also the most damaging ship choice, so you can murder the hell out of bosses and large enemies too. Ageha truly does everything.

But just being overpowered wouldn't be enough to make it one of my favorite ships. What I like is how fun he/she is to use. Between the slowdown, form swapping, swivel shots, laser murder and snappy speed, playing Espgaluda II with Ageha is a blast.

[BIL]

Gynoug Dickman he's my man
His wee-wee can crush a van
Zako, midboss, TLB
They can't stop this BGC ♫

Spoiler

Player-side, I've rediscovered my love of both The Black Fly (Metal Black) and Sheriff Billy (Brokeback Gun.Smoke). Artfully flawed, resoundingly dominating in learned hands; altogether beautifully tailored to each's opposition. Their respective GRAZE (Geo-Range All Zako Exterminate ) and angled-strafe mechanics are no gimmicks! Ignore, and die driven into a corner; master, and unleash all hell!

Honourable mentions to Young Raiden (Elemental Master) and the eponymous Kamui, both of which exemplify similarly fine asset/limit balance within the more forgiving world of console-original STGs; powerful, life-affirmingly feelgood avatars of righteous foot-to-floor blasting, given appropriately peppy opposition. Of course, a ship is only as good as the surrounding game; the vital tension that drives the beating heart of this immortal genre.

[copy-paster]

Batrider's Shorty AKA the bandage waifu. Most OP Equipment with dead-on precise homing missiles and wide-coverage bomb, can melt most bosses with ease with high autofire+max power.

R-Type Delta's R-13 Cerberus is an almost perfect ship. His laser is reliable at all times and that Bydo-eater Force is just fantastic, but playing this ship will get you "bad" ending though.

1P Side ship from Thunder Dragon 2 is my another pick too. Screen clearing bombs, spread shot powerful enough for pointblanking with 30hz, and the pilot yells "HERE THIS IS MY PRESENTS FOR YOU!" everytime you use the bombs .

Custom ships from R-Type Final (and Final 2 as well?) you can edit with whatever weaponary you like. In Final 1 my favorite has to be Leo 2 setup with R-90 Ragnarok 2's Giga Wave Cannon, literally nothing will stop you.

Weapon Edit from Gradius V is like Final 1 but with more weapon setups not present in default shot types. Spread bomb in GV is broken and with freeze option you could melt bosses too with right option placing.


That's all I could think of today, might update for another day.

[BIL]

the pilot yells "HERE THIS IS MY PRESENTS FOR YOU!" everytime you use the bombs

God, I'm cracking up just reading that One of the genre's holy MC trinity alongside Dangun's and BATWIDER. (Gradius V's is my 1CC godfather, but it's a different sorta vibe!)

[dark]

I like the Silver Sword in Battle Garegga. I mostly like it due to its sleak shinden style looks, but the simple armament is pleasant and the mega bomb that you can release in any direction is really handy.

I also like the blue ship in Mars Matrix. In a game like this, or Raiden, where you have the ability to go for a narrow straight powerful shot or a weaker spread shot, I tend to have more fun playing aggressively with the narrow straight shot.

[Ark]

Mars Matrix

[Lethe]

Hellsinker's Moon Cradle. The most varied of the Kaguras, but the least pigeonholed or gimmicky, it's less of a toolbox and more the practical arsenal of a weapons platform, a pile of broadly effective guns to be employed as you best see fit to each situation, while still being fiddly to use optimally. Being (relatively speaking) more grounded than most of the game's ships, I wish it had a little more visual grit too - although overall I'm on board with Hellsinker's visuals, a loadout like this could do with some shell casings and missiles, not funny abstract clouds and monochrome beams.

Having said the above, most things that involve variable aiming are going to get my attention anyway, be it any kind of tilty options, trace, Esprade powershot, Guwange shikigami or whatever else. Going fast, encouraging pointblanking and being loud are all winning qualities too.

I love R-Type ships and Forces but don't much like actually playing the games.

[Ixmucane2]

The generic ship in the recent Gunlocked forces you to plan a "build" of special abilities, weapons, accessories and powerups, most of them quirky and interesting. If everything goes well there's a very satisfactory transition from "I can't kill anything" to "I don't need to aim".

[Starfighter]

Ageha in Espgaluda: The flipping between states is very fun!
Opa Opa: When you touch the ground he pulls out his lil' legs and that's adorable.

[Vexorg]

Judge Spear from the Raiden Fighters games. I can't think of any other fighter in a shmup game that can move that quickly (maybe Dangun Feveron at the highest speed), and it becomes a very different game than with most others.

Honorable mention goes to Aegis' special attack. There's something oddly satisfying about unleashing an absurd quantity of missiles at your enemies...

[ACSeraph]

The Triggerheart Exelica girls with auto-swing off.
Anchor is life.

[Sima Tuna]

There's something oddly satisfying about unleashing an absurd quantity of missiles at your enemies...

Ah yes, the Macross Missile Massacre.

If you'd like the same experience in a 3d game, Macross Ultimate Frontier for the PSP isn't a bad choice. The missile barrages are very enjoyable. Thunder Dragon 1 also has a weapon type that fires a big fuckoff pile of missiles across the screen.

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

Cambria Sword has a wonderful missile swarm weapon. I believe it was the number 8 one. Been a while.

[XoPachi]

Oh man, how did I forget Jade Knight and Falchion B?

Round Laser, Gravity Shot, Auto Aiming, and Rolling Missile are SO stupid. Round Laser especially is extra dummy broken. That shit handles so much at level 2. It just sucks against every boss after Blizzard Crawler unless you play like a deranged lunatic.

[yuzura]

>xanthez kagura from hellsinker
>type-c from zeroranger
>type-a from eschatos
>must viper from refrain -prism memories-
>108 armed saboteurs from alltynex second
>kamui from kamui (duh)
>type-a exy from dodonpachi daioujou
>CF-345 black fly from metal black
>bond from ibara kuro
>tateha from espgaluda
>vic viper from gradius v
>silver hawk from g-darius
>ikaruga from ikaruga (duh..)

[Lemnear]

Beltiana/Alteeno (Batsugun)
Ruby (GigaWing)
Peplos (Blazing Star)
Panzer Jäger (Ketsui)
Type-A (DoDonPachi)
Type-B (DoDonPachi)
Helicopter (Air Duel)
Shinden (Strikers 1945 II)

I hope i have conveyed the idea.
I also like strange shot-types, especially the rear ones, too bad that in 99% of cases where they are available, they are also the most useless...

[ryu]

I also like strange shot-types, especially the rear ones, too bad that in 99% of cases where they are available, they are also the most useless...

Huh, in my experience rear shots are often very useful. At least I got to make good use of the mechanic in Thunder Force and R-Type.

[Lemnear]

I also like strange shot-types, especially the rear ones, too bad that in 99% of cases where they are available, they are also the most useless...

Huh, in my experience rear shots are often very useful. At least I made got to make good use of the mechanic in Thunder Force and R-Type.

I haven't played Thunder Force enough to judge (I think I used the game as an OST player).
R-Type makes good use of this, but for example Battle Garegga also has a formation to shoot from behind... and i didn't find a single moment where it made sense to do so...

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

I feel that thunder force 3 was the best for weapon viability, and even that was plagued with hunter being op. 2 was "everything is meh", 4 was "how do i use snake for everything" and 5 was "i don't need anything, i have free range" haven't played 6 enough to say though.